STAND. COM. REP. NO. 41

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 248

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture & Food Systems, to which was referred H.B. No. 248 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Department of Education to fully implement the Farm to School Program and Farm to School Meals Program by the 2024‑2025 school year;

(2) Provide that Complex Area Superintendents have the authority to implement the Farm to School and Farm to School Meals Programs;

(3) Require certain school cafeteria supervisors to report directly to Complex Area Superintendents;

(4) Establish and appropriate funds for five school cafeteria supervisor positions; and

(5) Require the Department of Human Resources Development to conduct a compensation review of school cafeteria supervisor positions.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from North Shore EVP, Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Hawaii Primary Care Association, Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, Hawai‘i Alliance for Progressive Action, Pacific American Foundation, Hawai‘i Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, Hawai‘i Farmers Union United, Hawai‘i Public Health Institute, Hawai‘i SEED, Malama Kaua‘i, and twelve individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Education.

Your Committee finds that the State has established ambitious farm to school goals through Act 175, Session Laws of Hawaii 2021, which requires thirty percent of food served in public schools to consist of locally sourced products by 2030. Further, there is currently no mechanism in place to align the work done at the complex area to achieve these goals with the work done at individual schools. Except for a plan to centralize food production kitchens, the Department of Education has not yet produced a plan to create alignment between the different levels within the department. Notably, the plan to centralize food production was done without either an analysis of the costs and benefits of this structural shift or a comprehensive plan outlining changes in production, distribution, use of labor, and impact on local transportation. This measure provides the necessary reorganization within the Department of Education to accomplish the goals of the State's Farm to School and Farm to School Meals Programs.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

Should your Committee on Education hear this measure, your Committee requests that it examine whether the implementation deadline of the 2024-2025 school year should be extended and whether the Department of Human Resources Development or the Department of Education would be better suited to carry out the task of filling the positions established in this measure.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture & Food Systems that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 248, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 248, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Education.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture & Food Systems,

____________________________

CEDRIC ASUEGA GATES, Chair